Comeback Kitchen: Second Chance at First Place

Seven competitors from previous seasons return for a second shot at becoming the next Food Network Star. For the first challenge, hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence ask the competitors to redeem themselves by making a dish that haunts them from their first go-around, then shoot a one-minute video to explain what they've been up to and how they've improved. Based on the dishes and videos, the least-improved alumnus is eliminated.

Comeback Kitchen, Episode 1 Photos

The Making of a Comeback

"This is your big chance to redeem yourselves," Tyler Florence told the hopefuls on day one of their journey to redemption. Though all of the finalists have competed on Food Network Star before, they each flopped in a fateful elimination. Now, though, they're intent on wowing the mentors and earning a second chance to compete for Stardom.

The Return of Doomsday Dishes

"It's that dish that still haunts you from the last time you competed," Tyler told the finalists of what they'd be cooking in the Mentor Challenge. After all, what better dish to kick off the series than the one finalists struggled with most last time? For former Season 7 finalist Penny, that meant a return to macaroni and cheese. "Make sure it doesn't burn," she says. That's her goal for today.

Mission: Focus

Matthew's downfall last year was his inability to focus his approach, both on the plate and in speaking on camera. This year he's determined to hone in on his point of view and deliver clear offerings in his food and presentation. "I can see that you've really [started] to harness all your energy and put it in a good place," Valerie Bertinelli told him after watching his presentation.

Risotto Demons

Remember when Dom overcooked his risotto last year in the dinner-party challenge at Los Angeles' Patina Restaurant? Despite his plans to rectify that mistake, he managed to present Tyler and Valerie with an opposite problem this year: an undercooked risotto. "For me to not get risotto right, something that I've cooked in Michelin-rated restaurants, it would be like a dagger in my heart. Again," Dom says.

Exuding Excitement

"You have no problem in front of the camera," Valerie tells Martita plainly after watching her present. Both mentors are pleased with her redo burger as well, much to Martita's delight. "Inside I am doing cartwheels," Martita admits.

Hopefuls of the Moment

Come the Star Challenge, Tyler explains, "Now it's time to focus on the present." The finalists are tasked with putting their current selves on a plate and preparing what Valerie calls a "Where are they now?" video, and for Chris the pressure to do that successfully is high. "Pretty much everyone has made a solid dish besides me and Dom," he explains, "and I know that I need to knock it out of the park." He sets out to put a Caribbean spin on shrimp, and soon enough, he's found his groove. "I'm thinking, 'Finally, Chris, you have cooked the way you cook when you're at home, when you do events,'" he reflects.

Global Fusion

With her varied ethnicity in mind, Brianna wanted to fuse flavors and ingredients from several cuisines into one cohesive dish, and in this challenge, she's going sweet with a French-Jamaican rum cake. "If I can pull this off, then I have redeemed myself from the Mentor Challenge," she explains, noting her earlier stumbles with an Asian-inspired noodle casserole.

A High and a Low

"I don't know who that was either," Valerie tells Michele after watching her presentation. Though Michele realizes that her video is a miss, her prosciutto-studded scallop dish is successful, as Tyler praises her, "There's not one wasted ingredient."

Safe, Barely

Both Martita and Matthew deliver lackluster presentations — hers impersonal and his full of "slogans instead of substance," according to Tyler. But they manage to avoid the bottom three this week on account of impressive food.

Unacceptable Outburst

Dom, too, delivers stellar food, a rustic Italian dish of spaghetti with a tomato-pancetta sauce, but when it comes to his video, he flops — badly. As the seconds tick away and he finds himself stumbling, he simply gives up on his presentation, declaring, "This is the longest minute in the whole world," and closes with a curse word. "When you have a lapse in front of the camera, you can't melt down," Tyler explains to Dom, whose poor performance has landed him in the bottom three with Brianna and Penny.

The First to Fall

Valerie urges Penny to bring what she deems the "Penny passion" and "humor" for which she's known, and Penny is ultimately declared safe from elimination. Brianna, however, despite delivering a wow-worthy dessert, heads home due to the missteps in her video. "No story, no details. Not even your name," as Valerie notes. Through tears, Brianna reflects: "I let myself down. I let my family down, my friends down."

Go Behind the Scenes

Want More Comeback Kitchen

Check out Food Network's Food Network Star headquarters for more insider coverage of Comeback Kitchen and the Season 12 competitions, including behind-the-scenes photos and exclusive interviews with the mentors.